Wilderness

LIFE THROUGH A LENS

FACEDOWN IN THE MUD, absorbed in his work, Jonathan Harrod realised he was no longer alone on the estuary flats.

The Christchurch photographer had been there for several days capturing photos of the local waders, quite undisturbed by human interference – until now.

“All of a sudden I heard a squelching,” Harrod says. “There was a guy on his phone walking towards me saying ‘this doesn’t look good’. He thought I was a body washed up in the mud.

“The birds all took off, he got the fright of his life, and so did I – there he was in his business suit and shoes, knee-deep in mud.”

Being mistaken for a corpse is quite a compliment in an artform where stillness is crucial, but at times it can feel similarly productive, Harrod says.

“There’s a lot of times when you’re sitting there just waiting – I’ve had days where I'm sitting in

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